Thread: Buried spitfires in Burma?

Originally Posted by th62

I still remember the stories of the brand new WW2 Harleys, still in their crates and coated in grease, stored away in a warehouse somewhere. They haven't been found yet either.

I can remember American magazines from the 1960's that used to have a full page ad on (usually) the rear cover offering $50 war surplus jeeps. No record of anyone actually succesfully buying one.

Funny story. I was told to go to Pucka in maybe 1971 and bring back to Melbourne a brand new left hand drive Studebaker truck. That bit was fair enough but when I got it to Albert Park it had some wheel studs missing from the front wheels and on closer examination they had sheered off. I gave the other studs a kick and they promptly parted company with the hub and the thing developed a list to starboard as the wheel fell off. It went back on a tow truck never to be seen again. The Aussie army had great equipment in the seventies.

When the war started the Govt confiscated most trucks and used them until they got lend lease vehicles in.

After the war some people got their trucks back, or what was left of them

They were totally trashed.

I remember the old man telling me how they went through a creek crossing too fast once and bent the chassis of a tanket truck like a banana.

They were supposed to travel at 25 mph to save fuel and tires, but if they broke down and had to catch up it was a good opportunity to "have a race".

The oldman got dragged before the CO for rolling a truck at high speed, and the I fell asleep story didn't go down too well.

Never made it past private after that.

Rob

Originally Posted by nearnexus

When the war started the Govt confiscated most trucks and used them until they got lend lease vehicles in.

After the war some people got their trucks back, or what was left of them

They were totally trashed.

I remember the old man telling me how they went through a creel crossing too fast once and bent the chassis of a tanket truck like a banana.

They were supposed to travel at 25 mph to save fuel and tires, but if they broke down and had to catch up it was a good opertunity to "have a race".

The oldman got dragged before the CO for rolling a truck at high speed, and the I fell asleep story didn't go down too well.

Never made it past private after that.

Rob

Yes that happened at the start of the war a directive to Australias public,Do you have or own 1 Motor trucks less than 3 years old?2 machine tools? 3 optical instruments [telescopes binoculars,telesocpic sights]4 typewriters? 5 hi powered centre fire rifles.If you had any of these they were to be surrendered to the fed govt for
the defence of our country.1942 was our year of peril.
as mentioned at wars end these clapped out trucks were returned to owners.Our neighbors lost a brand new 1939 chev truck to the cause.
As disposals came on line there were a huge amount of brand new material around and still arriving fulfilling remainders of contracts.
One of my old mentors was a local A grade auto engineer.They were buying brand new Bren gun Carriers for 25 pounds[50 dollars] thay had 100 hp Mercury v8 ford engines and all the running gear was ford truck.These were wrecked and refurbished many of the worn out ford trucks in the area.most had been worn out running on kero and ones with gas producers.Wire nuts bolts washers were just impossible to obtain then and all the carrier components were sacrificed.Got a brand new air cleaner and oil tank here from one of those carriers.
And ah the spitfire saga. Yes they were here in crates how many I dont know but were sold for 75 pounds[150 dollars] My late father bled that these were mainly bought for scrap melted down and odd bits sold off.As a poor dirt farmer 75 quid was a fortune.
Re new Jeeps yes they were sold for 50 pounds relatively new not crated and many garages had them here for RAcv duties.one was in service around here till about 10 yrs ago.
I have many stories of these issues and if interested let me know. I have seen and driven in the late sixties early seventies Studebaker army trucks released from moth balls from Bandiana with some less than 40 miles on speedo.Most went to CMF transport units. Cheers John

Originally Posted by j.ashburn

. . . . . . I have many stories of these issues and if interested let me know. I have seen and driven in the late sixties early seventies Studebaker army trucks released from moth balls from Bandiana with some less than 40 miles on speedo.Most went to CMF transport units. Cheers John

It sounds like you should write a book or at least an article about this. I reckon it would make a good read.

When Service Units were disbanded directives came to dispose of stores stock on hand.
Two particular places I have knowledge of are 1 Tocumwal nsw a base built to house 17,000 usa personnel never happened because the Pacific war moved north east.My late Gt uncle was head of the regional in those days state electric commission.When the Americans approached him to see i power could be brought from then the old Hume highway to Tocumwal.He said it would take up to 3 months.Not satisfied with this the Americans went to H/O.Power was on at the base in less than 3 weeks.Elec commision personnel were brought in state wide and worked around the clock.Uncle Sam eh?
Macarthur when he occupied offices in Melbourne sent troops out to confiscate type writers remove phones from public utilities. Book her up to Uncle Sam.
Back to the saga of Tocumwal,at wars end holes were dug and stores emptied and filled over.My gt uncle who was an electrical engineer pleading with the people present to have some cored bronze[totally unobtainable out side ]given to him,he managed a few pieces.He said what went in holes would ''bring a tear to a glass eye''.
2Carisbrook vic.During the war was a RAAF store there to service the flying boat base at Lake boga,L boga was a secure secret location.stores were shipped by rail to l Boga from carisbrook.My grandfather was a railway man at Maryborough next whistle stop and was always seeing airmen and stores consigned to l boga.
After the war the store was emptied and contents thrown down mine shafts in the area. in those days in gold mining areas lots of very deep and open holes were every where.After these stores tossed down those holes petrol was thrown down and ignited.My grandfather expounded with some of the locals going down on ropes to retrieve some of the dumped goods.Post war was some cheap contra band available courtesy of the mine shafts.
Got other tales from Pacific of stuff dumped off air craft carriers. vehicles left with a pick through radiator and a rock on the accelerator when islands left behind.

I may be wrong on this, but I think farmers trucks were exempt or had limited confiscation numbers compared to the rest.

Interesting stuff.

I remember there used to a big old shed and overgrown block on Main North Road in SA opposite the pub at Medindie (where the big Nissan Dealership is now) and it had many WW2 trucks and gear crammed in there, for many many years. Blitzes, Chevs, all sorts of stuff in camo colours.

Nothing ever seemed to move and in the 1970s (?) it all dissapeared and the block was cleared for the car yard.

Rob

Originally Posted by BobL

It sounds like you should write a book or at least an article about this. I reckon it would make a good read.

Thanks Bob,yes lucky to be of that age where I was interested and listened to all these tales.we all know of the Harleys under swimming pools and football grounds.
Bandiana vic was a warren of stores vehicles and sundries some yes underground.all moth balled.
Had relatives in all 3 services that served ww2,lots of old bosses too.Believe it or not not much ever came this way of yarns about ''buried treasure'' from the Navy boys.
Yes one of these days will pursue the article ,have snippets of a book laid down.
Am of the opinion that some find these articles interesting or just some one puffing his bagpipes to others. Feed back appreciated positive or negative.John.

Originally Posted by nearnexus

I may be wrong on this, but I think farmers trucks were exempt or had limited confiscation numbers compared to the rest.

Interesting stuff.

I remember there used to a big old shed and overgrown block on Main North Road in SA opposite the pub at Medindie (where the big Nissan Dealership is now) and it had many WW2 trucks and gear crammed in there, for many many years. Blitzes, Chevs, all sorts of stuff in camo colours.

Nothing ever seemed to move and in the 1970s (?) it all dissapeared and the block was cleared for the car yard.

Rob

Yes Rob,farmers lost them if were new or less than 3 years old.They also ensured that the remaining trucks were to be co shared and an allowance was allocated to all farmers for extra petrol coupons.Our old farm had extra fuel allowance, we had no truck neighbors did.Other neighbors lost theirs.we had extra fuel ration too for our shearing plant as it was petrol powered.There was strong cohesion among farmers in those days. Cheers.

Yes one of these days will pursue the article ,have snippets of a book laid down.
Am of the opinion that some find these articles interesting or just some one puffing his bagpipes to others. Feed back appreciated positive or negative.John.[/QUOTE]

I personally find this sort of stuff interesting.
I remember at Ultimo Tech they had bits of Spitfires everywhere in the 60s.
I even made the pattern equipment for a piston from a Merlin as an exercise.
Heard the farmers bought Mosquitos for 25 quid for the 200 quids worth of fuel and then dumped them.
Near Trundle maybe?
The bloke who built the motorbike with Merlin bits was from out that way from memory.
All this sort of urban myth/legend is good reading if it's not too far fetched.
H.

Originally Posted by th62

I still remember the stories of the brand new WW2 Harleys, still in their crates and coated in grease, stored away in a warehouse somewhere. They haven't been found yet either.

There were advertisements in the Sydney newspapers selling them in 1974. Can't verify it though, however some friends were seriously interested in buying one. From memory $40(?).

Very interesting John,

Something I've been meaning to research, but haven't yet made the time for, is the contribution ordinary citizens made to the war effort at home, including but not limited to using their machine tools to make parts for the war.

This interest was spurned on by a post I saw on an American website describing a brochure of some sort by I think the South Bend company, seen but not collected by the forum member many years ago, with guidelines about how to secure your lathe for vibration free turning of parts, possibly for guns? I can't quite remember. Anyway I wonder what the extent of the homeland war effort was from that perspective? As an aside, and something I've been meaning to research a bit more, is that apparently King George made parts on his lathe for the war effort.

Joe

Originally Posted by clear out

. . . .All this sort of urban myth/legend is good reading if it's not too far fetched.
H.

I agree.

I've read quite a few books about the various WWII campaigns, NA and tobruk, Burma, kokoda, singapore, pacific sea battles, D-Day, the western and eastern fronts, also stuff about War Widows, flying aces, prisoners of war etc but we don't get to read much about the home front, or in the period immediately after the war. The period 1946 to about 1955 is a bit of a vacuum for me.

I replaced the original 1948 very rusty corrugated galvenised iron roof on the double garage workshop last year.

Wondered why the iron was so thin, and they used half sheets.

Was talking to the old timer out the back, and he said it was because at that time, proper roofing iron was in short /unobtainable supply and they had to use fencing iron, which is half as thick, as a substitute.

Still didn't do too bad lasting over 60 years.

Bit of trivia.

Rob